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MELAMPYRUM fylvaticum.
Wood Cow-wheat.
P ^ ^ YNA M IA Angiofperm ia.
Gen. Char. Cal. tubular, 4-cleft. Upper lip of the
corolla comprefled, turned back at the margin.
Capf. 2-celled, oblique, burfting at one edge.
Seeds 2, gibbous.
Spec. Char. Flowers lateral, leaning one way.
Leaves in diftant pairs. Corolla open, with its lip
bent downwards. r
S v n . Melampyrum fylvaticum.
Sm. FI. B r it. 6 5 3 . Lightf.
H u ll. 137. FI. Dan. t. 145.
Linn. Sp. P I. 8 4 3 .
3 2 5 . With. 5 4 6 ,
Ttl
appears that this Melampyrum was not known to Mr.
Hudfon. What he called M. fylvaticum is the common
pratenfe, fee our t. 113 ■; and his pratenfe, adopted from Ray,
is undoubtedly, as Dr. Withering firft fuggefted, only a variety
of the fame. Mr. Lightfoot’s herbarium proves the Scottifh
jylvaticum to be right, and our wild fpecimens fent from the
county of Durham by the Rev. Mr. Harriman, as well as
others from Mr. Robfon, are the real plant of Linnseus. It
occurs only in mountainous woods or forefts, flowering in
July, and the root is annual.
This is rather fmaller than M. pratenfe, with which it
otherwife much agrees in appearance. The ftem however is
roughifh ; leaves more conftantly undivided ; flowers but about
half the fize of that fpecies, and of a fuller yellow, orange
coloured at the mouth. The elTemial c h a f e r confifts in
that part being pervious, not clofed, the upper lip being a
little elevated, and the lower hanging ftraight down, not pro-
jeaing horizontally. The teeth of the calyx are dilated at
their bafe, and the capfule is marked with a net-work of prominent
veins. Sometimes the feeds are folitary in each cell,
though moft frequently in pairs.